Keep Rodents Out of Your Grill: Winter DIY Tip

We love barbequing, but as our DIY expert discovered, in winter squirrels and mice may want to make your grill their home. Here's what to do to prevent rodents from nibbling their way through your outdoor kitchen.

"Is a gas barbecue supposed to make a whistling sound?" a neighbor asked. "No," I said. "Sometimes it can make a humming sound, but definitely not a whistle." She insisted her grill was producing some pretty unusual noises, so I grabbed some tools and headed over.

True enough, the grill emitted a faint whistle and, ominously, a slight odor of propane. It took only a few seconds to find the cause: a damaged regulator.

My neighbor recalled that when she opened up the barbecue months earlier, a squirrel came flying out from under its cover and chattered angrily as she went about her work. The critter probably intended to build a nest under the grill's cover and resented being disturbed. Like most of these rodents, when it wasn't busy procreating, eating and leaping through the trees, it was causing mischief. It satisfied its intense gnawing instinct by chewing a hole right through the regulator's face. That's not unusual. Squirrels have been known to spark fires by chewing through electrical cables and create water damage by chewing through roofs and flashing.

I replaced the regulator and advised my neighbor to bring the grill indoors during the winter. If you do bring your grill in, leave the gas tank outdoors. If you leave the grill outside under a cover, keep an eye on it and be prepared to roust any rodents you find there setting up house.